1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel chair carrier for a wheel chair transport assembly for those who have limited use of their legs but still have high use of their arms. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wheel chair carrier which enables the operator of the wheel chair to store the wheel chair within a carrying case, which carrying case will then, be stored on the top of a vehicle when the operator is in the driver's seat of the vehicle.
2. Description of Background Art
It has been known in the art of wheel chair carrier and storage devices to mount the wheel chair within a carrying case on the roof of a vehicle. With these types of wheel chair storage apparatuses, however, there was no guarantee that the wheel chair or wheel chair carrying case would not come into contact with a side of the automobile thereby damaging the finish of the automobile and causing potential damage to the wheel chair or the wheel chair carrying case. Further, conventional devices require the operator to secure the wheel chair to a carrier or to hooks and the like prior to lifting of the wheel chair into the storage position on top of a vehicle. This requirement is often time consuming and difficult from a maneuverability standpoint once the operator is already seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle. Further, some devices also limit use of the rear door of an automobile for four door vehicles or else are overly bulky and awkward for use in smaller or compact size cars. Finally, some conventional loading and/or lifting devices for hoisting the wheel chair to the top of the automobile do not consider the necessity of maintaining operating parts within a relatively limited space adjacent the side of the automobile, thereby preventing parking and use of those devices in a handicap parking space which is adjacent to other automobiles.
The present invention overcomes these problems found in the art by providing a wheel chair storing and transport assembly as described in the following.